Immunization is a principal feature for improving the health of people. Despite the availability of a variety of successful vaccines against many common illnesses, infectious diseases remain a leading cause of health problems and death. Significant problems inherent in existing vaccines include the need for repeated immunizations, and the ineffectiveness of the current vaccine delivery systems for a broad spectrum of diseases.
In order to develop vaccines against pathogens that have been recalcitrant to vaccine development, and/or to overcome the failings of commercially available vaccines (e.g., due to adverse results, expense, complexity, and/or underutilization), new methods of antigen presentation must be developed which allow for fewer immunizations, more efficient usage, and/or fewer side effects to the vaccine.